Rinek declined to discuss the cost of the audit or the value of the contract.

“This is not a traditional auditing assignment,” said Rinek from Nissan’s Gardena, Calif., office. “[Nissan media-buying agency] OMD has performed excellent stewardship over our media spending. There will absolutely be no change with OMD. We’re very happy with their performance and they’ll even be working with us on it.”

Rinek said “strategic media issues,” which he declined to explain further, prompted the audit. A third-party media consultant, Matt Bryant, will work with Nissan “hand in hand,” Rinek said. “The audit will continue for the foreseeable future as we look at the value added.”

Rinek said the input of MPMA, Tarrytown, N.Y., “could be a continuing relationship.”

In 2003, Nissan spent $793 million on Nissan cars and trucks, $207 million on Infiniti, per Nielsen Monitor-Plus.